do figs leaf out only because the weather tells them to? or, does genetics play a part?

the reason i ask is that with horses, they loose their winter coat at the time right for the breed.
if you take them to a colder or warmer climate they still lose their coat at the same time.

so, are figs like that? will they break dormancy even if the weather is unfavorable? perhaps due to day length?

it occurs to me peaches are like that too. some will sleep longer than others, due to genetics.

i think it's mostly temp related. if it's purely genetic, lot of in ground trees won't have made it this far. also with lack of light, they will start breaking bud once certain temp is reached.

thanks pete. i was just wondering if i needed to find figs that slept late to avoid frost damage.

some Genetics play a role in dormancy period, I have 7 new whips in ground since January. 4 are still dormant but I see the Tips are getting green and looks like they will even have breba on the tip... and mind you, LA is really hot nowadays. ...and 3 of them leafed out a month ago...with several branches besides the leading top.
I think I am missing few pics but gives you an idea what I mean.
weather plays a major role but genetics always is a deciding factor. Tic-Tock, Tic-Tock :)

         

thanks for the pics aaron. they are quite convincing.

Suzi-

I personally think SOIL TEMPERATURES have a huge effect on just when a variety starts to leaf out.  For example...if you grow the same, genetically identical, variety in Florida, and in New York City, the NYC tree will lag behind the Florida tree in development.  Day length may also be a factor....but the soil in Florida will warm earlier than the soil in NYC. 

Containerized trees can break bud earlier when the soil temps. are consistently warmer than outside ambient temps.  That's why 'the shuffle' produces results i.e ....soil is warmer during both the night and day -(garage, light bulbs, etc.  heats the soil).  I'll bet you can have high-intensity lights shining on a tree, 20 hours/day, with root-zone temps. near freezing, and that tree will still not break bud.

Good, documented experiments, that measure, and compare root-zone temperatures, commencement of growth, and, day lengths, are needed for containerized and in-ground trees.


Frank

I believe Frank and Pete have it right.  All one would have to do is compare say RDB in the NE to one here in Florida.  Here they have been awake and growing since late February.   Peaches and other temperate fruits need to hit their chill hours and once they do it is temperature that actually makes them wake up.  It is why a warm spring can cause the trees to bloom too early and then be damaged by cold.  Figs though will grow with zero chill hours so it is not a good comparison.  

i hadn't thot of that ,frank, but you are right for sure. wills, i'm thinking every post here is correct in some way.

I'm sure, in the end, it's all genetics anyway.

Edit.. i started this post last night, but didn't submit till morning, so didn't see the more informative posts above.. lol